The Meaning of Ruth 4:2 Explained

Ruth 4:2

KJV: And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

YLT: And he taketh ten men of the elders of the city, and saith, 'Sit down here;' and they sit down.

Darby: And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. And they sat down.

ASV: And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he took  ten  men  of the elders  of the city,  and said,  Sit ye down  here. And they sat down. 

What does Ruth 4:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Ruth 4:1-22 - In The Line Of David's Ancestry
We are admitted here to a graphic picture of the old world. Men's memories were longer and stronger than ours: and what was done publicly in the Gate, the place of public concourse, had the seal of permanence irrevocably attached to it. The transference of the shoe indicated the inferior position of woman, though she was honored in Israel more than in the neighboring nations.
What a happy ending! The gleaner need never again tread the fields, following the reaper's footsteps. All the broad acres were now hers, since she had become one with the owner. When we are one with Christ, we no longer work for redemption; but being redeemed, we bring forth fruit unto God, Romans 7:4. The curtain falls on a blessed group. The tiny babe lies on Naomi's bosom. The women who had gone together into the valley of the shadow of death stand together in the light of the mountain-top. God turns mourning into gladness, Psalms 30:11. And let us Gentiles learn that we too have a part in Christ. In Him is neither Jew nor Greek, Colossians 3:11 [source]

Chapter Summary: Ruth 4

1  Boaz calls into judgment the next kinsman
6  He refuses the redemption according to the manner in Israel
9  Boaz buys the inheritance
11  He marries Ruth
13  She bears Obed, the grandfather of David
18  The generations of Pharez unto David

What do the individual words in Ruth 4:2 mean?

And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said Sit down here So they sat down
וַיִּקַּ֞ח עֲשָׂרָ֧ה אֲנָשִׁ֛ים מִזִּקְנֵ֥י הָעִ֖יר וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁבוּ־ פֹ֑ה וַיֵּשֵֽׁבוּ

וַיִּקַּ֞ח  And  he  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
עֲשָׂרָ֧ה  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עֶשֶׂר 
Sense: ten.
אֲנָשִׁ֛ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
מִזִּקְנֵ֥י  of  the  elders 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
הָעִ֖יר  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שְׁבוּ־  Sit  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
פֹ֑ה  here 
Parse: Adverb
Root: פֹּה  
Sense: here, from here, hither.
וַיֵּשֵֽׁבוּ  So  they  sat  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.